Apparatus for providing roads and the like with guide stripes



April 22, 1958 G. NOTZ 2,831,728

APPARATUS FOR PROVIDING ROADS AND THE LIKE WITH GUIDE STRIPES Filed Jan.26,- 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet l 9 Fig.2

Msm-w Apr1l22, 1958 GINOTZ 2,831,728

APPARATUS FOR PROVIDING ROADS AND THE LIKE WITH GUIDE STRIPES Filed Jan.26, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 T 37 2 3 a6 7 zzzz 3 I IKUQM+OT United StatesPatent APPARATUS FOR PROVIDING RQADS AND THE LIKE WITH GUIDE STRIPESGottlieb Notz, Stuttgart, Germany Application January 26, 1956, SerialNo. 561,548

Claims priority, application Germany January 27, 1955 11 Claims. (iii.299-485) The present invention relates to apparatus for providing asurface with stripes of a desired color.

More particularly, the present invention relates to apparatus of thetype which is capable of providing roads with stripes for guidingtraffic and pedestrians. Thus, this type of apparatus is used forproviding a center line on a road for separating trafiic moving indiiferent directions, as well as for indicating crosswalks forpedestrians, and the like. Moreover, apparatus of this type may be usedfor marking athletic fields in accordance with the particular games tobe played.

The known apparatus of the above type has several drawbacks. Thus, it isdiflicult to provide with the known apparatus stripes of a precise widthand uniform color. The edges of the stripes formed by the known devicescannot be sharply maintained for a long period of time, and furthermorethe structure of the known devices rapidly wears requiring frequentreplacement of parts.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide an apparatuscapable of forming stripes of a desired width on a given surface whileguaranteeing that the stripes will have a uniform color and will besharply defined.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus whichmay be easily adjusted to provide stripes of a desired width.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an apparatuswhich may be preset to simultaneously provide one or more than onestripe on a given surface.

An additional object of the present invention is to provide an apparatuscapable of being controlled by the operator of a vehicle which moves theapparatus from a position remote from the apparatus.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatuscapable of cleaning the surface before the stripes are applied thereto:

A still further object of the present invention is to provide anarrangement where the apparatus for providing the stripes is adjustablein elevation from the surface on which the stripes are provided.

it is also an object of the present invention to provide a structurecapable of accomplishing all of the above obiects and at the same timebeing composed of simple, ruggedly constructed elements which areinexpensive to manufacture, which can be easily assembled anddisassembled, and which will operate reliably over a long period oftime.

With the above objects in view the present invention mainly consists ofan apparatus for providing a given surface with stripes of a desiredcolor, this apparatus including a carriage adapted to move in a givendirection along the given surface. A container is carried by thecarriage for movement therewith, and this container is adapted tocontain the material from which the stripes are formed. A plurality ofnozzles are carried by a bottom wall of the container, communicate withthe interior thereof, are arranged in a row extending transversely tothe direction of movement of the carriage, and have downwardly directedoutlet ends for directing the material in the container onto the surfaceto be provided with the stripes. A control means which is common to allof the nozzles is provided for opening and closing the nozzles.

The novel features which are considered as characteristic for theinvention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. Theinvention itself, however, both as to its construction and its method ofoperation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, willbe best understood from the following description of specificembodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings, inwhich:

Fig. 1 is a partly sectional front elevational view of a structureaccording to the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a cross sectional elevational view of the structure of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a partly sectional plan view of the structure of Figs. 1 and2;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary front elevational view of the structure of thepresent invention; and

Fig. 5 is a side elevational view, partly in section, of the entireassembly.

Referring now to the drawings, it will be seen that the structure of thepresent invention consists, essentially, of a container 1 adapted tocontain the material to be formed into the stripes, a plurality ofnozzles 2 carried by the container 1, a cleaning nozzle 3 (Figs. 4 and5) for clean ing the surface to be provided with the stripes, and acarriage 4, which maybe provided with two or four wheels and which isconnected by means of a connecting means 5 (Fig. 5) to a vehiclewhichmoves the carriage.

The container 1, as may be seen from Figs. 13 in particular, is composedof a pair of walls or plates 6 and 7 and a third wall or plate 8 whichhas an angular cross section, the plates 6-8 being interconnected witheach other by the screw members as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2. Thisarrangement provides a particularly easy disassembly of the containerwhich is formed bymembers 6-8 in a manner'described below, so that it isconvenient to clean the container or otherwise work on the same.

The wall 7, which is intermediate the walls 6 and 8, is formed with acutout 10 communicating with a cutout formed in the left face of thewall 6, as viewed in Fig. 2, so that this cutout 10 together with thatof the wall 6 forms the interior of the container which is adapted tohold the material such as paintor the like which is used to form thestripes. The wall 7 is formed on one side with an inlet 9 (Figs. 1 and3) for supplying the colored material to the interior 10 of thecontainer, this inlet 9 leading into the interior of the container froma side of the intermediate wall 7, and the outermost portion of theinlet 9 is provided with threads 11 adapted to be connected to a conduitfor leading the coloring material into the interior of the container,this conduit communicating, for example, with a tank carried by thevehicle which moves the structure of the invention.

The container 68 has a bottom wall communicating with the interior It)and carrying a plurality of nozzles 2 which are arranged in a rowextending transversely to the direction of movement of the carriagewhich carries the container, these nozzles-2. communicating with theinterior 10 of the container, having downwardly directed outlet ends fordirecting the material in the container onto the surface to be providedwith the stripes, and being threadedly carried in suitable openingsformed in the lower portion which forms the bottom wall of theintermediate container member 7. The nozzles further include elongatedneedle valve members 13, respectively, for opening and closing thenozzles, and these elongated needle valve members 13 extend completelythrough the interior portion of the container and through suitableopenings formed in the upper wall portion of the intermediate plate 7.These latter openings carry, respectively, sleeves 12 which slidablyguide the needle valve members 13, these sleeves 12 hearing on packings26 which provide a sealed sliding movement for the needle valve members13.

Within the interior 10 of the container the needle valve members 13 havea plurality of collars respectively fixed thereto, and a plurality ofcoil springs 14 are respectively coiled about the needle valve members13 and respectively engage collars 15 and the top wall portion ofintermediate member 7, so that the springs 14 together with collars 15and the upper wall portion of member 7 form a spring means for urgingthe needle valve members 13 downwardly to their closed position.

A control means common to all of the nozzles is provided for opening thesame, and this control means includes an elongated bar 17 respectivelyformed with a pair of openings through which a pair of guide pins 47slidably extend for guiding the control bar 17 for movement towards andaway from the bottom wall portion of the intermediate member 7. Springs48 are respectively coiled about the guide pins 47, respectively engagenuts at the upper ends of the guide pins 47, and also engage the controlbar 17 for urging the same downwardly. The control bar 17 is furthermoreformed with a plurality of bores 20 through which the needle valvemembers 13 extend. A plurality of engaging members in the form ofcollars 21 are respectively fixed adjustably to the needle valve members13 by means of the set screws 21a, so that the position of the engagingmembers 21 on the needle valve members 13 may be adjusted, these collars21 engaging the upper surface of the control bar 17. Thus, when thecontrol bar 17 is raised, the needle valve members 13 also will beraised to open the nozzles. The raising of the control bar 17 isprovided by a pair of levers 18 which are fixed to a'common shaft 19which is supported for turning movement about its axis by bearings 49which form part of the member 8.

One of the levers 18 forms an arm of a bell crank whose other arm 22 isconnected at its upper free end portion, as shown most clearly in Fig.2, to a movable core 23 of a Bowden cable 24 or the like, theoutersleeve of the Bowden cable 24 engaging the extension 25 which isrigid with the angle member 8. Thus, the operator of the vehicle whichmoves the structure of the invention may actuate from the cab of thevehicle, for example, the Bowden cable in order to turn the arm 22 in acounterclockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 2, so as to raise thelevers 18 and thus raise the control bar 17 in order to open thenozzles, the nozzles being automatically closed by the springs 14.

The nozzles further include annular chambers 27 respectively surroundingthe nozzle member 22 afiixed to the intermediate wall 7 and providingair streams which surround the liquid streams issuing from the nozzlemembers 2. These chambers 27 are formed in the bottom wall of the anglemember 8, in the bottom wall portion 8a thereof, and the nozzle members2 extend downwardly beyond the bottom of member 7 through the chambers27 slightly beyond the latter, as is evident from Figs. 1 and 2. Themember 8 is provided with a tubular connection 28 adapted to beconnected to a source of compressed air and leading to a pair ofpassages 29 which respectively communicate with a distributing chamber30 formed by a cutout in the member 8 and defined by the rear face ofthe member 7 together with the cutout of the member 8, as is mostclearly shown in Figs. 2 and 3. The member 8 is furthermore formed witha plurality of passages 31 leading from the chamber 30 respectively tothe annular chambers 27. Also, the bottom wallportion 8a of member 8 isformed with a pair of air nozzle openings 32 respectively located beyondthe ends of the row of nozzles 2 and having downwardly directed openends for directing a pair of air streams onto the surface to be providedwith stripes. A pair of passages 31 also provide communication betweenthe air nozzles 32 and the distributing chamber 30. These nozzles 32serve to provide streams of air which limit the width of the stripeformed by the nozzles 2 and guarantee a sharp definition of the edges ofthe stripe. The nozzles 32 act in this way when all of the nozzles 2operate to provide the widest possible stripe with the apparatus.However it is possible to provide narrower stripes, if desired, and inorder to accomplish this one or more of the nozzles 2 are disconnectedfrom the control bar 17 in order to. remain closed. In order toaccomplish this result it is only necessary to loosen the set screw 21aof the nozzle to be placed out of operation, so that when the controlbar 17 is raised the engaging member 21 will slide along the needlevalve member 13 and thus any one or more of the nozzles may be placedout of operation. However, it will be noted that the chamber 27 of theparticular nozzle or nozzles which is placed out of operation still hascompressed air which is directed downwardly onto the surface to beprovided with a stripe, so that when any nozzle is disconnected in theabove described manner the air stream which still issues from itautomatically acts to limit the width of the remaining stripe or stripesin the same way as the nozzles 32. v

The required compressed air can be obtained from a special low pressureblower or, if desired, from the compressed air installation of thevehicle which moves the apparatus of the invention, or also from aspecial compressed air container.

The carriage for carrying the container and for moving it in thedirection of the arrow shown in Fig. 5, which is transverse to the rowof nozzles 2, is shown most clearly in Figs. 4 and 5. This carriageincludes a pair of links 34 and 35 pivotally connected to each side ofthe container, and more particularly to each side surface of the anglemember 8, as is shown most clearly in Fig. 5. The pairs of links 34 and35 which are respectively located at opposite sides of the containerhave their free end portions respectively connected to a pair of thirdlinks 36 both of which respectively extend upwardly beyond the upperlinks 35. The distance between the pair of upwardly extending links 36is determined by a bar 47 having approximately the same length as thewidth of the container, this bar 47 having reduced end portionsextending respectively through openings of the bar 36 and throughelongated slots 44 respectively formed in the links 35, as is evidentfrom Figs. 4 and 5. p The outer end portions of the bar 47 are threadedand carry nuts for fixing links 35 respectively to links 36. However itwill be noted that because of the slots 44 the links 35 may be shiftedwith respect to the links 36 before being fixedly connected thereto. Thelower links 34 are connected respectively to the links 36 by the freeend portions of the axle 37 which turnably carries the wheels 33 of thevehicle. Although only two wheels 33 are shown in the drawings, it is tobe understood that a four-wheel carriage may also be used. 3

The upper free end portion of the links 36 are provided with tubularextensions 38 (Fig. 4), respectively, and an elongated bar 39 extendsthrough the extension 38, this bar 39 forming part of the connectingmeans 5 for connecting the carriage 4 to the vehicle which moves thecarriage. Thus, the links 36 are pivotally joined to the bar 39 so thatthe structure can operate independently of the vertical movements of themoving vehicle and can follow all irregularities on the surface beingprovided with the stripes. The connecting means 5 is composed of a pairof clamping members 40 and 41 which are drawn together by screw members42 in order to be clamped to a bar or pipe 43 fixed to and extendingfrom the vehicle for moving the structure of the invention.

The above described structure is capable of adjusting the elevation ofthe container with respect to the surface being provided with stripes,in order to provide the best possible operation, and in order to dothis, it will be noted that the links 34 and 35 are pivotally connectedto the container while the links 34 are respectively connected pivotallyto the links 36. The only fixed connection in the linkages is at theconnection between the links 35 and 36, and by adjusting the position ofthe links 35 with respect to the links 36, in the manner describedabove, it is evident that the elevation of the container may beadjusted. As is apparent from Fig. 5, the container together with thelinks 3436 forms a four sided linkage.

A means is provided for cleaning the surface from dust or other foreignmatter before the stripes are deposited thereon, and this means is inthe form of a broad nozzle extending across the container and fixed tothe front surface thereof, the nozzle 3 being shown in section in Fig. 5and in front elevation in Fig. 4. The widest part of the nozzle 3 islocated at its outlet 45 which extends substantially across the entirewidth of the container and which provides a broad, fan-like air streamwhich is directed toward the surface to be provided with the stripes andwhich cleans this surface. A tubular member 46 is fixed to the nozzle 3,in the manner shown in Fig. 5, and is adapted to be connected to asource of compressed air, which may be the same source of compressed airdescribed above and leading to the chamber 30, so that in this way thecompressed air reaches the nozzle 3 to be directed onto the surface.

It is to be understood that the structure of the inven tion may becarried by any suitable carriage, and furthermore the container may beformed by cast metal parts or other suitably formed parts, such assuitably shaped parts which are welded together.

It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or twoor more together, may also find a useful application in other types ofstripe forming apparatus differing from the types described above.

While the invention has been illustrated and described as embodied inapparatus for providing stripes on given surfaces it is not intended tobe limited to the details shown, since various modifications andstructural changes may be made without departing in any way from thespirit of the present invention.

Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist ofthe present invention that others can by applying current knowledgereadily adapt it for various applications Without omitting featuresthat, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essentialcharacteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this inventionand, therefore, such adaptations should and are intended to becomprehended within the meaning and range of equivalence of thefollowing claims.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. Apparatus for applying stripes of a desired color to a given surface,comprising, in combination, a carriage adapted to move in a givendirection on the given surface; a container carried by said carriage formovement therewith and adapted to contain the material for forming thestripes, said container having a bottom wall formed with a plurality ofopenings arranged in a row extending transversely to said givendirection and having downwardly directed open ends; passage meanscommunicating with said openings for directing compressed air into thelatter; a plurality of nozzles arranged with clearance in said openings,respectively, so that air surrounding said nozzles issues from said openends of said openings, said nozzles being fixedly carried by said bottomwall, communicating with the interior of said container, andrespectively having downwardly directed outlet ends, so that when saidnozzles are open the material in the container will move through thenozzles downwardly onto the surface to provide the latter with at leastone stripe; spring d me'ans operatively connected to said nozzles andtending to close the latter; control means common to said nozzles andoperatively connected thereto for opening said nozzles against the forceof said spring means; and a plurality of disconnecting meansrespectively connected operatively to said nozzles for disconnecting thesame from said control means, so that one or more of said nozzles may bedisconnected from said control means, whereby said disconnected nozzleswill be closed and the air issuing through the openings about saidclosed nozzles will limit the width of the stripes produced by thematerial flowing through the open nozzles.

2. Apparatus for providing a given surface with stripes of a desiredcolor, comprising, in combination, a carriage adapted to move along thegiven surface in a given direction; a container carried by said carriageand adapted to contain the material from which the stripes are formed,said container having a-bottom wall; a plurality of nozzles arranged ina row extending transversely to said given direction, carried by saidbottom wall, communicating with the interior of said container, andrespectively having downwardly directed outlet ends for directing thematerial in the container onto the given surface, said nozzlesrespectively including a plurality of elongated needle valve membersextending from said bottom wall of said container upwardly toward thetop of said container; an elongated control bar respectively formed withopenings through which said elongated needle valve members respectivelypass; spring means operatively connected to said needle valve membersfor urging the same downwardly to a closed position, said spring meansbeing located between said bottom wall of said container and saidcontrol bar; and a plurality of engaging means respectively carried bysaid needle valve members at the side of said control bar opposite fromsaid spring means for engaging said control bar so that when the latteris moved away from said bottom wall said needle valve members will bemoved to an open position against the force of said spring means, saidplurality of engaging means respectively being adjustable along saidplurality of needle valve members.

3. Apparatus for providing a given surface with. stripes of a desiredcolor, comprising, in combination, a carriage adapted to move along thegiven surface in a given direction; a container carried by said carriageand adapted to contain the material from which the stripes are formed,said container having a bottom wall; a plurality of-nozzles arranged ina row extending transversely to said given direction, carried by saidbottom wall, communicating with the interior of said container, andrespectively having downwardly directed outlet ends for directing. thematerial in the container onto the given surface, said nozzlerespectively including a plurality of elongated needle valve membersextending from said bottom wall of said container upwardly toward the.top of said container; an elongated control bar respectively formed withopenings through which said elongated needle valve members respectivelypass; spring means operatively connected to said needle valve membersfor urging the same downwardly to a closed position, said spring means.being located between said bottom wall of said container and saidcontrol bar; a plurality of engaging means respectively carried bysaidneedle valve members at the side of said control bar opposite from saidspring means for engaging said control bar so that when the latter ismoved away from said bottom wall said needle valve members will. hemoved to an open position against the f rce of said spring means, saidplurality of engaging means respectively being adjustable along saidplurality of needle valve members; a pair of guide pins fixed to andextending from said container, said control bar being formed with a pairof openings through which the guide pins respectively extend so thatsaid control bar is guided for movement by said guide pins; lever meansturnably carried by said container and engaging said control bar formoving the same together with said needle valve members in a directionaway from said bottom wall of said container against the force of saidspring means; and actuating means engaging said lever means foractuating the same to move said control bar against the force of saidspring means, said actuating means being operable from a place remotefrom said container.

4. Apparatus for providing a given surface with stripes of a givencolor, comprising, in combination, a carriage adapted to move in a givendirection on said given surface; a container carried by said carriagefor movement therewith and adapted to contain the material from whichthe stripes are formed, said container having a bottom wall formed witha plurality of openings arranged in a row extending transversely to saidgiven direction and having downwardly directed open ends, said containerbeing formed in its interior with a chamber separate from the portion ofthe container which contains the material to be formed into the stripes,and said container being formed with a plurality of passagesrespectively leading from said chamber to said openings, said containerfurther including an inlet leading into said chamber for directingcompressed air into the latter for movement from said chamber along saidpassages to said openings, respectively; a plurality of nozzles carriedby said bottom wall of said container, communicating with the interiorportion of the container which includes the material to be formed intothe stripes, and being arranged with clearance in said openings,respectively, so that air surrounding said nozzles issues from saidopenings, respectively; and control means common to said nozzles andoperatively connected thereto for controlling the flow of the materialfor forming the stripes through the latter.

5. Apparatus for providing a given surface with stripes of a givencolor, comprising, in combination, a carriage adapted to move in a givendirection on said given surface; a container carried by said carriagefor movement therewith and adapted to contain the material from whichthe stripes are formed, said container having a bottom wall formed witha plurality of openings arranged in a row extending transversely to saidgiven direction and having downwardly directed open ends, said containerbeing formed in its interior with a chamber separate from the portion ofthe container which contains the material to be formed into the stripes,and said container being formed with a plurality of passagesrespectively leading from said chamber to said openings, said containerfurther including an inlet leading into said chamber for directingcompressed air into the latter for movement from said chamber along saidpassages tosaid openings, re spectively; a plurality of nozzles carriedby said bottom wall of said container, communicating with the interiorportion of the container which includes the material to be formed intothe stripes, and being arranged with clearance in said openings,respectively, so that air surrounding said nozzles issues from saidopenings, respectively; and control means common to said nozzles forcontrolling the latter, said container being formed with a pair of additional openings respectively located beyond the ends of the row offirst-mentioned openings and having downwardly directed open ends, saidcontainer also being formed with a pair of additional passagescommunicating with said chamber and with the pair of additional openmgs.

6. Apparatus for providing a given surface with stripes of a givencolor, comprising, in combination, a pair of wall members connectedtogether and formed with cutouts, respectively, which communicate witheach other and form an inner space surrounded by the pair. of Wallmembers, so that the latter form a container, one of said wall membershaving a bottom wall defining paritof said inner space and formed with aplurality of openings extending along said bottom wall of said oneawallmember; a plurality of nozzles connected to said one wall member at saidopenings thereof, communicating with the interior of the containerformed by said pair of wall members, and extending downwardly beyondsaid one wall member; a third wall member extending along an outer sideface of the container formed by said pair of wall members, formed with acutout which together with said outer side face provides aninnerchamber, and having a bottom wall extending beneath said bottom wall ofsaid one wall member and formed with a plurality of openings into whichsaid nozzles respectively extend with clearance. said latter openingscommunicating with said chamber through a plurality of passages formedin said third wall member, so that when compressed air is applied tosaid chamber the compressed air flows along said passages to saidopenings to discharge from the latter around said nozzles; a carriagecarrying said wail members for moving the latter in a directiontransverse to said row of openings and nozzles; and control means commonto said nozzle for controlling the latter.

7. Apparatus for providing a given surface with stripes of a givencolor, comprising, in combination, a carriage movable along a givensurface in a given direction; a container carried by said carriage,adapted to contain the material from which the stripes are formed, andhaving a bottom wall; a plurality of nozzles carried by said bottomwall, arranged in a row extending transversely to said given direction,communicating with the interior of said container, and respectivelyhaving downwardly directed open ends for directing material from theinterior of the container onto the given surface; control means commonto said nozzles for controlling the same; and means interconnecting saidcontainer with said carriage for adjusting the elevation of saidcontainer with respect to the surface on which the carriage moves, saidelevation adjusting means comprising a pair of linkages respectivelylocated in substantially vertical planes, respectively connected toopposite sides of said container, and connected to said carriage.

8. Apparatus for providing a given surface with stripes of a givencolor, comprising, in combination, a carriage movable along a givensurface in a given direction; a container carried by said carriage,adapted to contain the material from which the stripes are formed, andhaving a bottom wall; a plurality of nozzles carried by said bottomwall, arranged in a row extending transversely to said given direction,communicating with the interior of said container, and respectivelyhaving downwardly directed open ends for directing material from theinterior of the container onto the iven surface; control means common tosaid nozzles for controlling the same; and means interconnecting saidcontainer with said carriage for adjusting the elevation of saidcontainer with respect to the surface on which the carriage moves, saidelevation adjusting means comprising a pair of linkages respectivelylocated in substantially vertical planes, respectively connected toopposite sides of said container, and connected to said carriage, eachof said linkages comprising a pair of links pivotally connected to aside of said container and extending from the latter, and a third linkpivotally connected to the free end of one of said pair of links,adjustably connected to the other of said pair of links, and extendingupwardly from said pair of links to a device for connecting the carriageto a vehicle for moving the carriage.

9. Apparatus for providing a given surface with stripes of a givencolor, comprising, in combination, a carriage movable along a givensurface in a given direction; a container carried by said carriage,adapted to contain the material from which the stripes are formed, andhaving a bottom wall; a plurality of nozzles carried by said bottomwall, arranged in a row extending transversely to said given direction,communicating with the interior of said container, and respectivelyhaving downwardly directed open ends for directing material from theinterior of the container onto the given surface; control means commonto said nozzles for controlling the same; and means interconnecting saidcontainer with said carriage for adjusting the elevation of saidcontainer with respec to the surface on which the carriage moves, saidelevation adjusting means comprising a pair of linkages respectivelylocated in substantially vertical planes, respectively connected toopposite sides of said container, and connected to said carriage, eachof said linkages comprising a pair of links pivotally connected to aside of said container and extending from the latter, and a third linkpivotally connected to the free end of one of said pair of links,adjustably connected to the other of said a-- of links, and extendingupwardly from said pair of links to a device for connecting the carriageto a vehicle for moving the carriage, the pivotal connection of saidthird link to said one of said pair of links being formed by the axle ofa pair of wheels of said carriage.

10. Apparatus for providing a given surface with stripes of a givencolor, comprising, in combination, a carriage movable along a givensurface ina given direction; a container carried by said carriage,adapted to contain the material from which the stripes are formed, andhaving a bottom wall; a plurality of nozzles carried by said bottomwall, arranged in a row extending transversely to said given direction,communicating with the interior of said container, and respectivelyhaving downwardly directed open ends for directing material from theinterior of the container onto the given surface; control means commonto said nozzles for controlling the same; and means interconnecting saidcontainer with said carriage for adjusting the elevation of saidcontainer with respect to the surface on which the carriage moves, saidelevation adjusting means comprising a pair of linkages respectivelylocated in substantially vertical planes, respectively connected toopposite sides of said container, and connected to said carriage, eachof said linkages comprising a pair of links pivotally connected to andextending from a side of said container and a third link pivotallyconnected to the free end of one of said pair of links, adjustablyconnected to the other of said pair of links, and extending upwardlybeyond said pair of links, said third links respectively having at theirupper free ends tubular extensions extending transverse to the directionof movement of the carriage; an elongated bar extending into saidtubular extensions; and a pair of clamp members adapted to be clamped toa part of the vehicle for moving the carriage, one of said clamp memberscarrying said latter bar.

11. Apparatus for providing stripes of a desired color to a givensurface, comprising, in combination, a carriage adapted to move in agiven direction on the given surface; a container carried by saidcarriage for movement therewith and adapted to contain the materialforming the stripes, said container having a bottom wall formed with aplurality of openings arranged in a row extending transversely to saidgiven direction and having downwardly directed open ends; passage meanscommunicating with said openings for directing compressed air into thelatter; a plurality of nozzles arranged with clearance in said openings,respectively, so that air surrounding said nozzles issues from said openends of said openings, said nozzles being fixedly carried by said bottomwall, communicating with the interior of said container, andrespectively having downwardly directed outlet ends, so that when thenozzles are open the material in the container will move through saidnozzles downwardly onto the surface to provide the latter with at leastone stripe; spring means operatively connected to said nozzles andtending to close the latter; control means common to said nozzles andoperatively connected thereto for opening said nozzles against the forceof said spring means; a plurality of disconnecting means respectivelyconnected operatively to said nozzles for disconnecting the same fromsaid control means, so that one or more of said nozzles may bedisconnected from said control means, whereby said disconnected nozzleswill be closed by said spring means and the air issuing through theopenings about said closed nozzles will limit the widths of the stripesproduced by the material flowing through the open nozzles; and a pair ofair nozzles respectively located adjacent but beyond the ends of said ofsaid row of openings for directing a pair of air streams downwardly ontothe given surface for sharply defining the outermost edges of thestripes.

References Gited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,176,464 King et al Mar. 21, 1916 1,799,570 Serapin Apr. 7, 19312,134,799 Pass Nov. 1, 1938 2,220,316 Creswell et al. Nov. 5, 19402,301,848 Beaman Nov. 10, 1942 2,377,789 Hann June 5, 1945

